INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The NCAA announced the field for the 2024 Division II Baseball Tournament, selecting the University of Tampa as the top seed in the South Region and host of the opening four-team regional.
Lee University is the No. 4 seed and will be traveling to Tampa for the first time. The Flames will be facing old GSC rival and No.5 seed Auburn Montgomery on Thursday at 5 p.m. EDT. Host Tampa and No.8 Savannah State will open region play at 1 p.m. There will also be two games on Friday and Saturday, and there could be one game on Sunday, in the double-elimination format.
"We are honored to have our name called by the NCAA regional committee," said Lee coach Mark Brew after receiving the official news. "We didn't finish the conference tournament like we wanted, but it is a huge accomplishment to be one of the final 56 teams playing. We have been to three regionals in four years and we are hopeful to draw on that experience and find a way to play into the weekend. Tampa is a new venue for us, and we have not played there before. Our team is excited about the opportunity ahead."
The South Region is divided into two four-team divisions, with No.2 seeded St. Leo hosting four teams in their half. The winner of each division plays for the Super Regional title and the right to advance to the eight-team DII World Series on June 1-8 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
The other four-team South Region bracket has host and No.2 seed St. Leo pitted against No.7 West Florida and No.3 seed Embry-Riddle facing No. 6 Delta State.
This marks the 24th consecutive postseason appearance for Tampa, who has advanced to win five of its eight national championships since 2006. Lee has been in the region three of the last four years.
The Flames and Warhawks are longtime rivals, facing each other many times in key NAIA battles before Lee moved to the NCAA and AUM would follow later. On March 16-17 the Flames and Warhawks tangled in a three-game GSC series inside Larry Carpenter Stadium with Lee winning 2-of-3.
"We have lots of familiarity with each other. We played them in a three-game series in March and of course got to watch them play three games in the GSC Tournament," remarked Coach Brew. "They have an experienced team like we do and are one of the grittiest teams I have seen this year. They are extremely tough outs at the plate and have some guys who have logged lots of GSC innings over the years on the mound. It's a tough match up, but everyone is good this time of year."
Links
NCAA Tournament Bracket | Digital Program | South 2 Regional Host Site
Live Stats - TampaStats.com
Live Video - TampaSpartans.tv
Ticket Information
Tickets may be purchased at the gate. The ticket gate will open 60 minutes before the first game of each day. Admission for each day of the tournament is: Adults ($10), Children under 12 ($5) and children under 2 (Free). Tickets are available via cash or credit card at the main entrance.
Parking
Parking is available for free at the Delaware Parking Garage and the West Parking Garage. The Delaware garage is located between the Naimoli Softball Field and Naimoli Lacrosse Field, while the West garage is located north of the field.
